well here we are, not even thru january and it's proving to be a long winter. stir-crazy is a good way to describe us at times. enter random indoor projects to help put in our days, especially these cold ones where we dont want to venture out at all. so let's make some 'glass marbles'.
balloons and food coloring. that's it. fill 'em up and put outside to freeze. luckily, we only had 2 minor explosions with the food coloring/water step, which was easily cleaned up with a few towels. old man winter cooperated quite a bit with the below zero temperatures this week and froze our balloons just fine. the reveal was fun too - cutting off the balloons and seeing what neat color swirls had formed inside. then i took them back out in the snow while von watched from the window so that we could admire them until they start melting (if it ever decides to warm up again!).
that's it. pretty simple, but fun. wonder what project is next??
well it was time. time for a haircut. the first haircut.
we practiced 'going to the barber' (just like daddy) and talked about the cutting, spraying, and ice cream reward in the end. yup, ice cream reward :) i'm hoping i get the same reward after my next haircut!
anyways, we went to see hilda (mommy's stylist) and up von climbed into the chair. next, a nice 'cow cape' was draped over von and the cutting began. he did an amazing job at being a big boy. i thought i might cry, but i didnt (go me)! a few short minutes and the haircut was, as von would say, 'all done'. hilda gave me some curls to put in my memory book and a lollipop for von. score for both!
next it was off to grandma's house to show off this snazzy new do! von was so proud. as he played, we couldnt help but comment how cute and grown-up our little von looked. after some visiting, it was off to beef and barrel for dinner and that infamous ice cream reward we had promised von. the food was great, but we all felt like heading home for dessert. so we got it 'to-go' and came home to eat our ice cream. what a fantastic finish to a wonderfully fun evening!
way to go von ... you are so very very handsome!
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
AND THE ICE CREAM!
meet von's new pet ... fishy.
as we walked around the store the other day (wasting time because it was cold outside and we were bored), we ventured past the fish tanks. and dont ask me why, but i decided that we could buy a fish! von said he wanted an 'orange' fishy. so $2 on the fish, $4 on the (plastic) bowl and i had one happy little boy on my hands!
we brought fishy home and got him all settled in. i pretty much thought von was going to burst with excitement as he waited to tell josh when he got home from work. he also wanted to tell EVERYONE else about his new pet (like the mailman, his stuffed animals, ollie - you get the picture).
feeding fishy has proven to be a highly anticipated event for von. he has also learned the rules of no holding fishy, no pulling the bowl off the counter and that a 'bath' is necessary for fishy every few days. so far, so good. we shall see how this goes!
to be continued .....
and after the garage fun, you head inside for a warm shower and popsicle treat!
a john deere tractor. with a snow plow attached. in a heated garage. filled with tools & other machines. oh, and a television. with cartoons playing on it.
yup, hanging out with pa is AWESOME!
so we go from 35 degrees & sled riding on thursday to 63 degrees & nature walking on sunday. crazy, but we're not complaining!
the weather was so wonderful today that von skipped nap so that we could enjoy as much time outdoors as possible. and off to the trail we went! mr von enjoyed listening to the river water, pretending to push down trees like a bulldozer, removing EVERY stick from the path, oh yeah ... and tumbling down the muddy bank with momma. yup, muddy-bummed mom & von laughed the entire way down. what a fun memory!
we were all pretty well exhausted by the time we returned to the jeep - not to mention an early bedtime for all this evening.
hurry spring, please dont be too far away! we like outdoor adventures!
thanks to some quick planning, friday ending up being a great day for a field trip to erie. tiffany asked if we'd like to go at the children's museum and since the weather looked great, we hopped in the car and headed west.
we had a fun time exploring the cute little children's museum with mason & norah, although von seemed a bit over-stimulated and had a meltdown :( (but hey, he's 2, so it happens). after some play, it was back to the doran residence for some delicious mac-n-cheese and more playtime. von & i made a quick stop at target before leaving erie, and then he snuggled into his car seat and passed out before i even reached the pa/ny line.
we're looking forward to some more upcoming erie trips - especially the reopening of the zoo in about six weeks!! woohoo!
no words can describe the pure joy that von & i experienced playing in the snow today. oh, and our reindeer ollie had fun too.
some sledding, snow angels, snowball tossing, a nice walk, and lots and lots of giggles.
von is going to be such a good big brother. this little gummy bear will be here before we know it!
